The avian race is a very secretive and mysterious one. They are
the size of giants, towering over any human, but weigh about the same
as an elf. Their slight bone structure allows their wings to carry
them as they fly from place to place, but it also requires them to
rely on mental prowess instead of brawn for survival. Many speculate
that they are a people who evolved in the mountains, perhaps
magically. However they came to be, they are fiercely religious, and
worship a nature diety. Most choose to become druids since that
allows them to be closest to their god, however they do well in
clerical magicks as well. They have uncanny powers of sight, and it
is said that an avian can see everything you do. For this reason many
avians are hired as watchkeepers, and they make wonderful explorers
and missionaries. Their amazingly unusual bodies, which basically
look like emaciated humans with wings, and the fact that they are used
to an isolated environment, makes them very susceptible to disease and
poison. Many an avian has ventured out of his or her homeland only to
fall victim to one of the many plagues that ravage the world at large.

Centaurs are woodland beings who shun the company of men. They dwell in
remote, secluded glades and pastures. The appearance of a centaur is
unmistakable: they have the upper torso, arms, and head of a human being,
and the lower body of a large, powerful horse.

The draconians are a fearsome race, and almost as secretive as the avians.
Like the avians, they can fly, and come from some not-so-well-known place
far away. Unlike any other race though, draconians are not mammalian.
They more closely resemble lizards, snakes, and especially dragons.
They tower over even giants in size, reaching over 12 feet in height, with
leathery wings that can stretch to over 30 feet when extended, and can fold
up neatly on the back, causing no real hindrance in movement. The sheer
size of a draconian DOES, however, cause problems, because most things in
the world are built with human size in mind. Draconians are very strong,
and tougher even than dwarves. Unlike most races that reach such large
proportions, they retain a keen mind, and make good mages as well as
warriors. Because of their strange biology, and some degree of reptilian
nature, draconians are immune to almost all poisons and plagues.

Drow are an elven race that live below the surface of the realms. They have
evolved to live in total darkness miles below the surface. They live in goups
called houses and the female tend to take rule over males. Males are often
used as sacrifice to there female goddess Lloth. They have the abilty to
see creatures in the dark and to see long distances. However they can
be harmed with any kind of light. They make good warriors and thieves.

Dwarves are short, stocky demi-humans, known for foul temper and great
stamina. Dwarves have high strength and constitution, but poor dexterity.
They are not as smart as humans, but are usually wiser due to their long
lifespans. Dwarves make excellent fighters and priests, but are very poor
mages or thieves.

Elves are slightly taller than humans, but have a much lighter build. They
lack the strength and stamina of the other races, but are far more agile,
both in body and mind. Elves are superb mages and thieves, but have at
best fair talent as warriors or priests.

Elves resist charm spells most effectively, due to their magical nature.
use of iron or steel in their adventuring careers. Elves are notoriously
hard to spot, and so elven warriors and thieves recieve the sneak and hiding
automatically. They may see in the dark with infravision.

Espers, a race that traveled to the Realms Of Balance from a distance plane,
and who have lived for centuries. They take the form of humans, but look
diffrently underneath. They are a very magical creature, with the
powers to see in the dark, see magic and regenerate body parts. They make good
spell casters.

Giants are the largest of the races, ranging from 9-12 feet in height. They
are stronger than any other race, and almost as durable as the dwarves.
They aren't too bright, however, and their huge size makes them more clumsy
than the other races. Giants make the best warriors of any race, but are
ill-suited for any other profession.

Giants resist heat and cold with nary a mark, due to their huge mass. However,
their slow minds make them extremely vulnerable to mental attacks. Giants,
due to their size and stamina, receive the fast healing and bash skills for
free. (Only giant warriors recive bash).

Gnolls are large, evil, hyena-like humanoids that roam about in loosely
organized bands. While the body of a gnoll is shaped like that of a human,
the details are those of a hyena. They stand erect on two legs and have
greenish grey skin, darker near the muzzle, with a short reddish-grey to
dull yellow mane.

Gnomes are to dwarves what pixies are to elves. That is to say, they are
smaller, smarter, less-strong cousins. Where dwarves are known for their
mental dullness but great wisdom, gnomes are known for quick minds and a
very analytical nature. They are nowhere near as strong or hearty as
dwarves are, but are much the same, being creatures of earth who can't
swim (and thus drown easily like dwarves) and have eyes attuned to seeing
in the dark. Where a dwarf would see a mine shaft and it's glittering
jewels, though, a gnome notices the girders and struts and supports within
the mine and contemplates ways to make them better. Gnomes love technology,
metallurgy, and any other form of science. This makes them natural mages,
possessing mental powers that rival elves. They are not, however, a stealthy
race like elves, goblins, or halflings. They are engineers, architects,
artisans, and sometimes workers of great magicks.

Goblins are almost universally shunned because they are almost all natural
criminals, cutthroats, and killers. Every crime boss or thief master is a
goblin, with very few exceptions. They are extremely thrifty, known to
argue over a single silver piece, and will drop water in the desert before
dropping money. Goblins have diabolical minds, and few torture devices can
be named which a goblin did not think up. They are extremely smart and also
have a knack for survival. Stealth comes naturally to them, and their dusky
grey to green, sometimes even blue or black, skin tones make them hard to
spot at night.

Goblins are not really warlike, and don't really appreciate overt combat.
It's not their style. A goblin would much rather satisfy its sadistic needs
through thievery or betrayal than through honorable combat.

Halfelves are a cross between a human and an elf, usually due to the fact
that human armies sometime make raids on elf lands. Halfelves are very
nearly human, although they tend to be a bit more thoughtful, and less
physically powerful. Unfortunately they are also more bitter, and much
more aloof than either the most secretive elf or the most secluded human
hermit. They see themselves as unwelcome in either elf or human society
and as a result tend to lead solitary lives as wandering adventurers who
follow no real creed.

A halfelf is a natural loner, and most of them are rangers or druids,
communing with the nature that they love much as the elves do.
They have much better eyesight than humans, due to their elven ancestry,
but unlike elves are more inquisitive about the world around them, much
as humans are.

Halflings are a quiet folk who like to keep to themselves, and are not
often seen filling the role of an adventurer. They would much rather
sit complacently by a fireplace enjoying a good book, good drink, and
good conversation. They are, however, very adept thieves, and have the
mental capabilities to be quite powerful mages. They are about half
as tall as the average human, thus the name halfling. Because of this
small size and the fact that most devices are built to human proportions,
halflings are masters at lockpicking, disarming traps, and jewel craft.
They also have very easy access to pockets, and there is no door a
halfling can not open and slip through with the utmost of silence.

Halforcs are a cross between humans and orcs, dwarves and orcs, or sometimes
even giants and orcs. These various combinations are almost always the result
of an orc raid on the habitation of one of those other races, and each type of
halforc is just as mean and hearty as the other. They are also very agile,
and born athletes, however seldom is a halforc found that can even read or
speak coherently. They are quite literally dumber than bricks, but there is
no more fearsome fighter around.

A halforc is a warrior, and if a halforc is not a warrior, then that halforc
is useless. They can fight, and when it suits them they can also sleep, eat,
and fornicate, but that's it.

The heucuva is an undead spirit similar in appearance to a skeleton, but
more dangerous and more difficult to dispel. The heucuva appears to be
a humanoid skeleton of normal size. The bones are covered by a robe that
is little more than tattered rags.

Humans are the most common race in the world, and make up the majority of
adventurers. Although they have no special talents like the other races,
they are more versatile, being skilled in all four classes. Humans may
also train their primary stat higher than any other race, and are able to
gain more benefit from magical devices.

Kenku are bipedal, humanoid birds that use their powers to annoy and
convience the humand and demihuman races. The typical kenku resembles
a humanoid hawk wearing human clothing. Kenku have both arms and wings.
The wings are usually folded across the back and may be mistaken at a
distance for a very large backpack. Height ranges from 5 to 7 feet.
The feathers are predominantly brown with white underfeathers and face
markings. The eyes are a brilliant yellow.

Minotaurs are either cursed humans or the offspring of minotaurs and
humans. They usually dwell in underground labyrinths, for they are not
confused in these places, which gives them an advantage over their prey.
Minotaurs are huge, well over 7 feet tall, and quite broad and muscular.
They have the head of a bull but the body of a human male. Their fur is
brown to black while their body colouring varies as would a normal normal
human's. Clothing is minimal, usually a loin cloth or skirt.

Pixies are very much like the elves...and share with them a vulnerability
to iron weapons. They also share the nature-loving attitude and peaceful
demeanor, but beyond this pixies reach an extreme. They are extremely
magical creatures which, unlike elves, fly everywhere they go. Their
wings are fairly redundant, as they don't really use them to fly. It's
the sheer magical nature of a pixie that gives it it's special qualities.

They are a race of very small size, and because of their inquisitive
nature and mental power, tend also to be tinkerers and sometimes
pranksters. While a pixie may be thousands of years old, almost all
of them act like human children...

The Podrikev were originally a non-sentient mechanized creation of dwarven
miners. Meant to help expedite the minerals of Moria these machines were
became worthless and were abandoned when the mines lost all value.

Although left to rot for the centuries, the dwarven miners had implanted in
each machine the brain and spinal column of a domesticated kobold so as to
make them controllable. Many of the Podrikev retained the beasts' instinct of
survival and attempted to explore beyond the mines in search of continued
existence. In time, their intelligence evolved and adapted itself to the
surrounding environments.

The Podrikev are very large, very bulky, mechanical beasts that are
fashioned from plates of steel, bronze, iron, and granite. All Podrikev run on
a system of pullies, levers, grinders, chains, and other contraptions
including dry batteries and a fuel converter for changing food into energy.

All of the Podrikev walk with an audible clank and expell a
nauseating exhaust. They are hardy and when well-oiled become formidable
opponents in battle.

Podrikev have the affect of sight of invisible, hidden and are able to
see creatures in the dark. Magic, Cold or Poison does not affect them but
and sometimes Disease and fire. They are though affected by water and wood.
These fine creatures make a good warrior.

Also called fauns, satyrs are a pleasure loving race of half-human, half-goat
creatures. They symbolize nature's carefree ways. Satyrs have the torso,
head, and arms of a man, and the hind legs of a goat. The human head is
surmounted by two sharp horns that poke through the satyr's coarse, curly
hair. The skin of the upper body ranges from tan to light brown, with rare
individuals (1%) with red skin. A satyr's hair is medium reddish, or dark
brown. The horns and hooves are black. Satyrs living near centaurs are
likely to be friendly with them.

Thri'kreen are a race of large, intelligent insects often referred to as "mantis
warriors". They roam the deserts and savannahs, where they have marked-out hunting
territories. They have no need of sleep and can remain active through the day and
night. They always have Haste, they are immune to diseases, charm and mental attacks.
They have a resistance against weapons and are very vulnerable to magic. Special skills
are Frenzy and berserk.

Titans are dark-skinned humanoids, similar in appearance to the average human,
though most often much taller and larger in body mass. Their height varies
greatly from a little over 5 feet, to some of the elder titans towering at over
15 feet in height when standing. It is rumored that titan height signifies and
is influenced by their social status, though in modern times, it is rare to
encounter a titan who stands much taller than 8 feet. Titans traditionally wear
loose fitting clothes of earthen colors, tunics and loincloths made of simple
materials. Jewelry and elaborate decoration is common among this race, but is
less of a symbol of wealth than it is something of beauty that titans admire.

The details of the titan exodous to the Great Realms is largely unknown due to
the introverted nature of titan society. What is know is that millenia ago, a
small group of titans ventured from the outside realms into what we now know as
the Great Realms and settled the valley east of the central mountain range, in
the area now known as Titan Valley. There, the titan society flourished, though
isolated from much of the realms, until the gradual opening of trade with nearby
races introduced the Great Realm titans to the general public. Titan culture is
rich in tradition, though there is still much that is unknown to modern scholars
about the day to day workings of titan society despite the openness to outsiders
that the race has shown in latter days.